


The Way We Met

by HeyGoodLookin



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Romance, They meet at the park, Wow, of course, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 19:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15031739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeyGoodLookin/pseuds/HeyGoodLookin
Summary: A prologue to my other series, You're Somethin' Else.How Dustin met June for the first time.OR Dustin meets this totally awesome, unique, girl but doesn’t know what to do.(aka. Dustin falls for a girl.)





	The Way We Met

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I like how this turned out. I feel like it was a missing piece from my original story so I wanted to post it. Hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.   
> I'm also thinking of making this a potential two shot?

 

 

June Graham had lived in Hawkins her entire life but had made it a point, for better or for worse, to stay pretty much invisible. She was short, just barely grazing five feet tall, and had her blonde hair cut in a wavy bob that stuck out in every direction. She never wore any makeup, save for her favourite cream soda flavoured lip smacker, and preferred boys’ jeans over women’s. 

She never expected to fall for someone. 

And she sure as shoot didn’t expect that person to be Dustin Henderson. 

Dustin, on the other hand, was having a hard time coping with his life. He’d recently started high school and, though he’d hoped for better, the bullying the party had experienced in middle school was still ever present. Though it was better now that El was with them (this improved Mike’s mood drastically) and Max, being for better or for worse, Billie’s kid sister, could easily scare Troy and James away just by mentioning his name. That didn’t mean everything was okay though, because it wasn’t. It really wasn’t. Dustin had trouble sleeping, his night plagued with nightmares and waves of anxiety. There was normal life stress like, was he going to get into jazz band? Did he want to put all his eggs in one basket and pursue music full time? He felt like the answer, for the most part, was yes because it was when he was practicing, that he didn’t worry about his other life stresses. That being monsters, government agents, demo-dogs, and the world threatening to end on a seemingly yearly basis. 

Dustin was ever thankful for Steve because though the rest of the party had similar issues, they weren’t alone. Mike had El. Lucas had Max. Will had this new boy he started talking to in choir that he kept saying was his friend but Dustin knew there was something more to it. Will’s eyes lit up at the mere mention of Jack’s name. And part of Dustin wanted to dig deeper but he resisted because he knew it was a big deal for Will. 

So sure, he had the party, he always had the party, but now they were all coupled off and he was left, some nights, alone. Because El would be out with Mike and Will would be at choir practice. Dustin didn’t want to third wheel with Lucas and Max, so he’d sit in his room and read comic books or practice for his jazz band audition and make like he was happy being alone. He’d pretend like he was introverted and didn’t want to go out anyway. Only, that was a lie. Dustin was the most extroverted person on the planet. 

It was at that point that Steve would usually show up, pizza in hand, and they’d watched mindless cartoons and have the same conversion that usually went something like: hey Steve, how’s your love life? Shit, Steve would say. And then Steve would ask: how ‘bout yours? To which Dustin would reply: same. 

It was the second first weekend in September when Steve came down with the flu and Dustin sat alone in his room as his mother sat with Tews. Mike was on a double date with El, Max and Lucas and Will was “hanging out” with his new friend Jack. Dustin lay back on his bed and stared up at the glow in the dark stick on stars on his ceiling. He’d pasted the stars in the pattern to match actual constellations. _Wow,_ he frowned, _I’m such a fucking nerd._

He used to be okay with the fact. They all were nerds. But lately it was eating at him. Actually, the loneliness was eating at him and Steve’s advice of “sometimes the right person will fall in your lap when you least accept it” didn’t really help him all that much. It gave him a shred of hope, but not much else. So he decided, at 9pm on Friday that he’d try to sleep. He was exhausted anyway, since he averaged on four hours a sleep a night at best, so closing his eyes wasn’t hard. It was keeping them closed that was the problem. 

Midnight came and went and suddenly Dustin woke with a start. He’d been screaming, he knew that since his throat was raw, and he was drenched in sweat. A shadow in his room played with his mind and he jolted again in fear. 

 _Get a grip,_ Dustin shook himself as he turned on his light. _It’s your fucking sweater._

“Dusty?” he heard his mom call from the hall. “Are you alright sweetheart?”

“M’fine mom,” Dustin called back. “Just a bad dream. I’m okay.” 

Mrs. Henderson paused for a moment. “Are you sure?” She knew full well her son wasn’t okay, but she didn’t want to press him. She knew he was embarrassed about how he was acting. He was fourteen. Fourteen year olds weren’t supposed to have nightmares anymore. Or so he thought. 

“I’m sure,” Dustin answered, brightening the tone of his voice for affect. He listened as his mother slowly made her way back to her room and closed the door. He waited a few minutes until he was sure she was asleep again, and got up. He threw on a hoody overtop of his t-shirt and headed outside with his backpack containing some nougat and his walkman. He was listening to the tapes their band director, Mr. Laurence had gave him, for wind ensemble. 

He was still wearing his Star Wars themed PJ pants, but he didn’t care. He didn’t know where he was going, per say, he just knew he needed to get out. Needed to get some air and reminder that no, contrary to his ever-persistent dreams, the world was _not_ about to end again. Dustin dragged his heals as he walked, humming some tune to himself as he looked up at the sky. It was a clear night. 

And somehow on that clear autumn night, Dustin found himself gravitating towards the local park. It was nothing fancy; just a pond and a small play structure, but it felt right. He had this gut feeling, like he needed to be there or something. He sat down on the bench and was about to take out his walkman when he heard a squeaking sound. Like a kind of whine, only constant, every second or so, but it was high pitched and after the third time hearing it, Dustin’s eyes widened in fear. It had been year since the last occurrence with the upside down and he knew, as much as everyone else in the party did, that it wasn’t over. The mind-flayer was out there somewhere and at that moment, Dustin’s heart stopped beating. His eyes glazed over with tears and his body began to tremble. He had nothing on him save for a flashlight since Steve hadn’t finished making him his own nail bat, so he knew, with horrifying clarity, that if something was out there, he would surly die. He had no way of defending himself. 

Dustin grasped his flashlight in his right hand and, after dropping his backpack to the ground, he turned it on. 

“I’ll fucking kill you!” He cried, voice cracking with fear, as he held the flashlight out in front of his body. Body wracked with anxiety, Dustin noticed the noise stop and heard the sound of rushed steps on gravel. _That’s it, I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna—_

 _Oh._  

Dustin’s panicked train of thought was cut short as the light of his flashlight landed on the source of the movement. It was a demo-dog or a monster. It was a girl. A girl who, by the looks of it, wasn’t in much better condition than him. 

“The fuck do you want?” the girl muttered, rushing away from the light of Dustin’s flashlight. It was at that point that Dustin realized he’d been crying. He tried to wipe his tears away without the girl noticing but stopped when he saw her doing the same thing. He could hear her sniffling and taking deep breaths. 

“Sorry,” Dustin put down his flashlight and took a slow step towards the girl. “I didn’t mean to freak you out. I’m just…” God, he didn’t know what to say. _I’m just messed up? I just thought you were a monster trying to kill me?_ “I’m just a little freaked out.” Well, it was something, he bowed his head. He tried to wipe away some more of his tears but he knew it was stupid, more would replace them soon. He was still shaking from the scare. 

“Are you okay?” 

Dustin looked up at the question. The girl had also come a step closer. “Are you?” 

“I asked you first,” the girl sniffed again. 

“Fine,” Dustin shifted nervously and swiped at his eyes. “I’m… it’s hard to explain…” 

“Try me,” the blonde took another step and unknowingly landed in a beam of light from the streetlamp. 

Dustin’s eyes widened slightly in shock. He knew her. He was pretty sure her name was Jill or Jan or something with a J. She was always playing drums when he came in to practice his trumpet in the band room. She was really good. She was also really funny, he remembered from the few time’s he’d overheard her talking to people. She was friends with a senior, some guy named Joe, who did a lot of drugs and played in a local heavy metal band. 

It was at that moment that Dustin noticed her red rimmed eyes. He’d been crying, sure, but by the looks of it, she’d been _bawling._ And with good reason. She had a nasty bruise forming on her cheek and an angry hand print around her neck. 

“I just…I couldn’t sleep,” Dustin mumbled, looking back down at his feet. He’d been staring. 

“Bullshit,” the girl quipped before letting a string of curses fall from her lips. She scrambled out from the light of the streetlamp and wiped her eyes angrily. “You couldn’t sleep and I’m a size six.” 

Dustin wanted to chuckle at that but he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to. Was it okay to laugh at someone if they’re making fun of themselves? Sure, the girl wasn’t _slim_ but she wasn’t exactly _huge_ either. 

“You can laugh,” the girl sat down on the edge of the bench so her back was facing Dustin. 

“Oh,” the curly haired boy blinked and sat down near the other edge of he bench. “I don’t think you’re fat.” The words came tumbling out of Dustin’s mouth before he knew what he was saying. 

“What?” the girl whipped around, eyes wide. 

“Oh my God,” Dustin groaned, clearly mortified with what he had said. “I’m so sorry. I’m such an idiot! I don’t think before I speak. It’s— it’s a problem. I just thought I’d, you know, let you know.”

“That you don’t think I’m fat.” 

“Right. Yeah. That,” Dustin punctuated every word. “You’re not.” 

“Okay well, thanks…” the girl smirked slightly and turned away again. “You’re not an idiot.” 

“Cool,” Dustin mumbled, his tears gradually slowing down. He could feel his heart-rate return to normal. “I had…uh…I had a nightmare.” 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah,” Dustin sighed. “I get them a lot. I don’t normally come here but I just…”

“Had to get out,” the girl finished. “I get it.” 

“It’s been a rough year, that’s all. I thought I was done with this shit but clearly—“ he brushed away the last of his tears. “I’m not.” 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, man. We all have shit we’re dealing with. I’m June by the way. I know we’re in band together but I don’t think we’ve ever really talked.”

“I’m Dustin,” he held out his hand as June turned around to face him. She took his hand and shook it firmly as their eyes met for the first time. Light blue looking into deep brown. Dustin knew he aught to pull his hand away but something was keeping him there. He needed to hold her longer. A foreign feeling swept over him it was like… _electricity,_ he thought as he continued looking at the girl. _Steve was totally right. This is what he was talking about._ He hardly knew June but the world seemed to make just a little bit more sense, the longer he looked at her. 

She was pretty. Unique. And Dustin could tell by the way she kept trying to look away, that she didn’t realize those things about herself. He could read her insecurity, but he could also read bravery. Humour. Passion. Beauty. God, she was beautiful. 

“So…” June murmured, unknowingly lowering their hands so they were connected but resting on the park bench between them. “What you got there?” 

“Oh!” Dustin broke out of his daze with a fierce blush. “Sorry,” he pulled his hand back.

“No!” June exclaimed before she could stop herself. Dustin stared at her. “I mean, it’s okay. This was okay.” She put her hand back on the bench. Slowly, Dustin moved his hand back to where it had been intwined in hers and took a shaky breath. He could feel the calluses running along the palm of her hand. _She’s a drummer,_ he remembered, _that’s so fucking cool._

“I just brought my music along. Mr. Laurence gave me a bunch of tapes from his library.” 

June’s eyes brightened with excitement. It was like they lit up the dark night. Dustin felt like he was melting. June smiling was about the best thing he had ever seen. 

“You like it?”

“I love it!” Dustin said happily. “This one’s a Schubert string quartet. It’s the Death and Maiden quartet. It’s based off—“

“A song he wrote,” June finished with a smile. “I know. For voice and piano. It’s one of my favourites. Der Tod und das Mädchen.”

“Oh,” Dustin felt his face heat up. “That’s awesome.” he smiled genuinely, teeth and all, and looked down at their joined hands. “So you like Schubert?”

“Yeah,” June nodded her head enthusiastically. “He’s my favourite.” 

“Really?”

“Oh totally,” the girl chuckled. “He was a total slut though. But I mean, good for him. Get it while you can. Everyone was, like, dying of the consumption and shit so I get it. Nothing fuels passion like impending death.” 

Dustin stared at June for a moment. He couldn’t believe his ears. June’s eyes widened in shock. She obviously couldn’t believe what she had said. They both blushed fiercely before bursting into a fit of laughter. 

“Nothing fuels passion like impending death,” Dustin repeated, holding his stomach as he laughed. 

And June’s laugh? Well, Dustin was pretty sure he’d never heard something so wonderful in his entire life. It was loud and brassy, like a trombone or something, and was just a little bit too loud. But he loved it. He loved how loud it was and how it filled the air with joy. 

“You feeling any better?” 

Dustin looked back into June’s eyes at her words. “Yeah,” he smiled. “A lot. You?”

“Better.” 

Dustin hesitated for a moment. “You’re okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m good,” June brushed off his concern. She could feel him looking at her face. Examining her injuries with sympathy. She knew he knew but she still wanted to keep it from him. At least for a while. 

“If you want, you can come back to my place. I know you don’t know me all that well but my mom’s cool and—“ Dustin stopped rambling when he noticed June’s sad expression. Oh God, he’d upset her again. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, ashamed. “I didn’t mean to pry or anything.” 

“It’s okay,” June blinked rapidly. “I appreciate it.”

“Well, I mean it. If you don’t want to go home, you can stay with us,” Dustin rubbed his thumb along the top of her hand. Because it was at the moment that Dustin understood. June was at the park because she couldn’t be at home. 

“Somehow I don’t think your mom would appreciate some weird girl staying the night,” June looked away from Dustin and sat back against the bench. “Besides, I like it here. I’m used to spending the night.” 

“You sleep here?” Dustin eyebrows shot up in shock. He felt his heart sink in dismay. 

“It’s not big deal,” June brushed his concern off casually, “I do it all the time.” She paused for a second and looked at Dustin again. He was staring at her with a mix of admiration and sympathy and it made her breath hitch in her throat. “But it’s nice not being alone…” June added with a small smile. “Real nice.” 

“Yeah,” Dustin breathed, shifting a few inches closer to her. “Do you mind if I stay with you? For a while?” 

“Sure,” June blushed. 

Dustin knew it wasn’t his place to ask. He knew it wasn’t his business, but yet he felt this odd pull towards June. He was worried about her— worried about not just the bruise that was forming but what appeared to be old bruises fading around her wrists. Dustin looked down at where their hands were connected and ran his thumb along one of the fading marks. 

“Your dad?” 

June’s eyes widened at Dustin’s question. 

“You don’t have to answer,” he back-pedalled quickly, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.” 

“No,” June swallowed hard. “It’s okay. It’s my mom.” 

“Oh,” Dustin watched as her eyes glazed over with tears again. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s cool,” the girl answered shakily, gripping Dustin’s hand tighter without even realizing it. 

“It’s not cool,” Dustin leaned towards June ever so slightly. “It’s not cool at all. I’m so sorry.” He shifted on the bench so his entire body was facing her. Slowly, he extended both of his hands forward like an offering. “Is this okay?” 

June wanted to run away. She hardly knew this boy. She knew he was funny and charming and had a great smile. She knew he played euphonium and trumpet and, most importantly, she knew he cared. So instead of running, she allowed herself to fall into his arms. 

Sighing, she wrapped her own arms around his shoulders and buried her face into his chest. He smelled like chocolate and cat hair. And when June felt him rub small circles around her back, she relaxed for the first time in a _long_ time. For the first time ever, maybe. She’d never felt more safe and more cared for in her entire life. 

“Parents are shitty sometimes,” Dustin said simply, resting his chin on the top of her head. He couldn’t help but notice had well they fit together. 

“You got that right,” June replied quietly. “You said your mom’s cool though, right?”

“Yeah,” Dustin smiled, threw caution to the wind, and pressed a feather light kiss to her hairline. “She’s awesome. My mom and dad got a divorce when I was little, that’s why we came here— to Hawkins, I mean— because my mom wanted a fresh start and it’s closer to her sister here. My dad’s an asshole though. Haven’t heard from him in years.”

June sighed. Yeah, parents were shitty sometimes. “Do you want to? Hear from him, I mean.”

“Fuck no.”

“Oh,” June gave Dustin’s hand a light squeeze and pulled back, smiling sympathetically. 

Dustin reached into his backpack and took out a plastic bag. “You like Nougat?” 

“Seriously?” June stared at the bag filled with the candy. “It’s the fucking best!” 

“Totally. Finally somebody agrees with me.” 

And so, Dustin found himself sharing headphones with a girl names June. They listened to music, ate candy, talked about their favourite bands. They both liked Queen and KISS but had vastly different opinions regarding heavy metal. Dustin liked it on a casual basis while June jabbered on about Motley Crue and what a great drummer Tommy Lee was. 

They talked until they fell asleep and when Dustin woke up, she was gone. There was a note on his backpack that read: 

Thanks for everything Dustin.

Sorry, I had to get home. I’ll see you soon.

Thanks again,

June.

 

And Dustin felt like his heart was ready to explode. It was still early. Like, 5:45 in the morning early, and it was just 6:00 when Dustin came home and grabbed his super-com. 

“Steve!” he hollered into the radio. “Steve! Do you copy? Over.”

Silence for a moment. 

And then crackling. 

“Jesus Christ,” Steve groaned, obviously still half asleep. “What the hell is going on? I’ve got training today, can’t you—“

“Meet me for breakfast. You don’t have to go in until later, right?”

“Right,” Steve sighed. “What’s going on?” 

“Breakfast. Benny’s. Meet you there in fifteen.” 

“Asshole. You. Be there in twenty.” 

“Fine.”

“Fine.” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Next part could involve Dustin getting Steve's advice?


End file.
